2008 Cross Stitch Projects

2008 was a great year for me as far as getting a lot of work done on various projects. I started some new ones, finished a very old WIP, and completed two major cross stitch pieces, as well as several larger crochet lace pieces.

I started off the beginning of the summer with a visit to a cross stitch shop in PA, and picked up Mirabilia's "Crystal Symphony" and got started on her.

The background is 32 count antique white linen, and I stitched the face/arms in petit point for a smoother appearance. I'm about halfway finished, and plan on getting her finished sometime in 2009. I put her away to work on Mirabilia's "Mermaids of the Deep Blue Sea", which I finished in September 2008. The background fabric is Amsterdam Blue 32 count linen.

I found the darker fabric somewhat of a challenge to work on, so I bought my first OTT-Lite floor lamp - while expensive, it has definately been well worth the price, and I recommend them highly.

Additionally, I started Silver Lining's "Edith Wolford", a beautiful purple and orange iris. While I love the Silver Lining's designs, the amount of confetti stitching with very similar colors makes them borderline frustrating to work on, so the projects get put aside after only a few days of work. I honestly think that the quantity of color changes could be simplified and still have amazing results - I would definately do a lot more Silver Lining designs if they were. Still, I'd like to get this one finished sometime in 2009.